Solving Crawl Space Humidity and Standing Water in Suffolk, VA
Challenge
This homeowner contacted us with concerns about humidity and water in their crawl space. High relative humidity can cause a multitude of problems in the crawl space such as wet, falling insulation, mold and mildew growth and wood rot. These things can affect the overall health of your home and your indoor air quality as the air in your crawl space is pulled up through the home, into the livable space. The homeowner also had an issue with groundwater in the crawl space contributing to the moisture and humidity issues.
Solution
To address these concerns, we cleaned the old insulation and vapor barrier out, remediated the mold utilizing Shock Wave Antimicrobial and a physical wipe down of the space. Shockwave is an antimicrobial that kills mold but does not remove it. The physical wipe down removes the dead mold from the joists, this is an important step in remediating the crawl space for mold because even dead mold will dry and flake becoming airborne and affect the indoor air quality of your home.
We then Installed interior foundation drainage lines directing to a SmartSump. The drainage lines are installed below the crawl space grade level and feeds to the SmartSump. The Smart Sump consists of a basin, which houses the sump pump, the sump pump in this instance a 1/3 HP Zoller sump pump and a stand that keeps the sump pump out of any silt and sediment that collects at the bottom of the basin.
GoldSeal, a 10-mil vapor barrier, is installed to seal the crawl space from the earth. GoldSeal is comprised of 3 layers, making it durable enough for servicemen to crawl on it and all seams are sealed with a heavy-duty 4” wide tape. Sealing your home from the earth significantly reduces the humidity level in the air. Inside the crawl space entrance, we leave a vinyl sticker on the liner informing any service people that enter the crawl space to notify the homeowner if any damage to the liner occurs.
Spray Foam Insulation is installed on the Crawl Space Walls leaving a 3” viewing strip. The 3” viewing strip is left per VA building code and allows pest control companies to perform their inspections. Spray foam is also installed in the Rim and Band for insulating and air sealing purposes and all vents are blocked with Foam Board and Spray Foam.
A dehumidifier with wireless hygrometer is installed. The receiver is placed in the crawl space and reports to a wireless unit in the home. This unit allows the homeowner to monitor the temperature and humidity in the home and the crawl space. No significant change in these numbers can be an indicator that everything is functioning properly.
The Friction fit interior crawl space door is a custom fit door that sits behind the exterior crawl space door. The Friction Fit door is designed to address air sealing and insulating concerns that are not achieved by exterior crawl space doors alone.
The Everlast exterior recessed crawl space door is a durable door that does not rust or rot, and does not need to be repainted, complies with most HOA regulations.
